Abstract: A light transmitting, visual display panel for use as a sign or message board and comprised of a plurality of closely adjacent, rectangular modules, each of which includes a closed, vertically disposed housing having top, bottom, side and back walls, and a front wall comprised of a plurality of closely adjacent, interchangeable, rectangular, 3-dimensional, light refracting filtering lenses. The lenses are removably secured in the housing. A vertical array of individual light sources is disposed within the housing behind the lenses and dividers behind the lenses separate the light sources. Each housing includes at least one pressurizing cooling fan and narrow, slot-like air exhaust ducts are provided between adjacent lenses.

Abstract: A dual colored LED indicator is provided for each channel of an audio mixing console to enable an operator to determine the status of at least a first and second device. Preferably, a red indication from the LED indicates a device is active and a green indication from the LED indicates that a device is set to become active or has just become inactive. The invention enables an operator to determine which device is set to next become active in a cross fade operation.

Abstract: In a digital display system including a stroke scanning mechanism, a method which comprises the steps of displaying symbology and increasing or decreasing the number of symbols stroke scanned, including the null symbol depending upon comparisons of actual stroke time to a predetermined stroke time limit. The symbology is initially displayed by stroke scanning. The actual stroke time for stroke scanning the symbology is measured. The actual stroke time is then compared with the predetermined stroke time limit to ascertain whether or not the time limit has been exceeded. If the stroke time limit is not exceeded and a null symbol is not present in the symbology stroke scanned, a null symbol is added. If the stroke time limit is not exceeded and a null symbol is present in the stroke scanned symbology, the number of symbols is increased. If the stroke timing limit is exceeded and a null symbol is present in the symbology stroke scanned, the null symbol is removed.

Abstract: A method and system for dynamically controlling the horizontal scrolling of data contained in a stored table of arbitrary size in a windowing environment. The list of data to be scrolled through is stored in memory with certain columns designated as sticky. Responsive to input from the user, a process is invoked to either scroll left or right through data contained in the stored list. A "must display" column is determined based on the current display in the window and the direction of scrolling. The sticky columns that can fit with the "must display" column are determined and placed on the display. Sticky columns that cannot be placed on the display with the "must display" column due to window size limitations are temporarily suppressed. Additional non-sticky columns are placed on the display on a space-available basis including the placement of a partial column that fills the display.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a method and an apparatus for power demand load leveling of a power supply driving a plurality of LED's through the use of pulse width modulation. A first modulating signal provided from a pulse width modulator is applied to a delay means for generating second, third and fourth modulating signals each delayed from the previous modulating signal by a predetermined time. The modulating signals are used to modulate control signals corresponding to four groups of associated LED's in order to permit only one group of LED's to be turned on at any one time, although more than twenty five percent of the LED's may be active at any one time. Each of the first, second, third and fourth modulating signals are applied to a different group of four groups of activation switches along with their respective control signals to enable the switches and activate an associated group of LED's.

Abstract: Below a transparent board-like digitizer, a screen of the same size as that of the digitizer is placed. Scenes of a display device is displayed on the screen. A co-ordinates standard of the digitizer is set to be identical with that of the screen. Thereby, the point indicated on the digitizer of a first cursor device is shown at a position corresponding to that of the point indicated by means of the cursor. The screen displays a right-angle scale lines controlled by a second cursor device on the digitizer. The right-angle scale lines can carry out parallel movements and rotations on the screen. In a drafting mode of the digitizer, the operator hits each points shown on the digitizer through the first cursor device on the basis of, or with reference to the right-angle scale lines in order to draw patterns on the screen. The center of the right-angle scale lines is moved to, or into, an area of the original pattern on the screen.

Abstract: An input device for providing multi-dimensional spatial input data to a computer is disclosed. The device incorporates multiple independently operable locating members or input mechanisms, such as a roller ball for entry of two translational coordinates, a thumb wheel for entry of a third translational coordinate, and a trackball for entry of three rotational coordinates. The input mechanisms are also available for performing additional or alternative functions. The input mechanisms may be configured in several arrangements, while a single unified interface is presented to the host computer regardless of the configuration. In an additional embodiment, a seventh degree of freedom can be provided by sensing rotation of the housing containing the locating members.

Abstract: A visual paging device comprises a LED or LCD screen for displaying a personal message which can be input by the user through a keyboard on the device itself or through a computer at a rental location to which the device can be releasibly connected or, by an infrared remote keyboard. A stand supports the screen on a wheeled base for easy transportation from the rental location to a meeting area and is adjustable in height enabling the message to be displayed above a crowd.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display device with a built-in back light device for illuminating a liquid crystal element. The back light device includes a light transmitting plate disposed behind the liquid crystal element, a light source disposed in the vicinity of one end of the light transmitting plate, a reflector for reflecting light from the light source towards the light transmitting plate, the reflector being integrated to the light source, and a slide mechanism for allowing the reflector to be slidably detached from the light transmitting plate.

Abstract: A technique for mapping high resolution data into a lower resolution frame, in applications in which the original high resolution data contains a small amount of noise. The improvement is achieved by the introduction of a hysteresis loop into the mapping process.

Abstract: A colorspace converter for use with image processing systems. The colorspace converter transforms digitized image data in one colorspace into image data in another colorspace, for use by a computer monitor. The colorspace converter uses look-up tables and other logic devices, and avoids the need for processor intervention. The look-up tables may be loaded for simple mapping, and extension look-up tables may be loaded for nonlinear extension transformations.

Abstract: An enlarged area addressable matrix is disclosed comprising the following major components: a matrix addressable circular display, a square mounting plane, display drivers, and routing between the display and the display drivers. The display is located on the square mounting plane so that four corner regions are formed where the display does not cover the square. These four corner regions are used to accommodate the wiring and driver circuits needed to control the display. Thus the display, display drivers, and routing all fit on the same mounting plane.

Abstract: A conventional monoplane mouse is constructed to move on a flat surface upon a single plane within which a contained sphere may rotate tangential with the single plane contacting the flat surface. Signals for XY cursor movement are derived from two or more counting sensors positioned at an equator of the rotatable sphere parallel with the single plane. The mouse invention defines two or more facets in the underside housing. The facet mouse can be tilted to one of the exclusive facets and moved on a flat surface to generate XY signals. The facet plane selected by tilt is identified by triggered pressure sensitive switches at each facet plane. The switches also function as undercarriage feet to define the virtual plane of contact to the flat surface. The facet planes in two and four facet embodiments are oriented with the orthogonally placed sphere counting sensors so that the intersect of any two opposing facets is parallel with the plane of rotation of one of the counting wheels.

Abstract: A cursor control device moves from a precise zero rest position to define x-y coordinates for moving a cursor on a computer screen. When an actuating force is removed, the deflected control device is precisely returned to its zero rest position by operation of springs. The device provides relative cursor position data by reference to the zero rest position. The position data is converted to electrical signals which are utilized to position the cursor on the screen.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided by which human and dolphin participants may actively progress towards a mutually understandable meaningful communication system. The apparatus includes a three dimensional grid matrix having X and Y electrode wires stacked on top of themselves to form the three dimensional grid. This three dimensional grid system is preferably enclosed in an electrical rheological fluid which is responsive to an electric potential applied across it. The three dimension grid matrix is driven so that selected pixels of the three dimensional grid are activated, and it is thus possible to memorialize or form a three dimensional image of an object or communicable symbols in the electrical rheological fluid.

Abstract: A switching apparatus for an electron device, for controlling movement of an image on a display unit, including a plurality of pushbuttons being provided on upper surfaces with directional symbols which represent upward, downward, leftward, rightward directions and random or non-linear paths of travel in which the image displayed is allowed to move. When the pushbuttons are pressed, control signals are transmitted to a control circuit of the electronic device. The pushbuttons with the symbols indicating the four directions are arranged in a cross form, while the pushbuttons with the symbols indicating random and/or non-linear paths of travel are arranged between the pushbuttons forming the cross arms. Further, the pushbuttons with the directional symbols are arranged around a center pushbutton for stopping movement of the displayed image. The pushbuttons are made of a resilient material and assembled as a single unit.

Abstract: A display control device for receiving input data at a display controller-kernel unit, storing it in a memory, sequentially reading the stored data from the memory and displaying it on a display unit. The control device comprises a counter which is reset when a signal indicating writing of data in the memory is detected to output a counter signal when a predetermined value is counted, a display control circuit for outputting a control signal so as to close a gate inserted in a signal line between the display controller-kernel unit and the display unit in response to the counter signal to interrupt the signal line and turn off the backlight of the display unit, and means for invalidating the control signal when the fact that a signal is written in the memory is detected.

Abstract: A TFT LCD display has a PEL matrix in which the drain lines of the different TFTs are supplied with different drain voltages to achieve a preset number of gray scales. The different drain voltages are set during factory calibration through use of a test PEL having substantially the same characteristics as the PELs viewable by a user. The characteristics of the test PEL are first measured, the values of drain voltages for achieving the different gray scales are mathematically derived from the measurements, and such values are stored in the display system. The specific manner in which calibration is done is by measuring output voltages of a photodiode located next to the test PEL as a function of different drain voltage inputs and constructing a unique transmissivity versus drain voltage for the subject display. Calibration is accomplished by a factory tester or by a built-in calibration system.

Abstract: A driver for an active matrix type liquid crystal display device includes a CMOS transfer switch group capable of arbitrarily selecting a drive reference voltage, a CMOS transfer switch for transferring a drive reference voltage selected by the CMOS transfer switch group to a driver output terminal, and an operational amplifier connected in the form of a voltage follower. The liquid crystal driver output voltage quickly reaches an arbitrarily selected drive reference voltage, and a stable voltage coinciding with the reference voltage can be applied to the liquid crystal display device.

Abstract: A LCD vertical scrolling mechanism automatically tracks addresses of information scrolled on a LCD. A counter is initialized to a value latched in a vector register when a frame signal is received. Subsequent BPCLK signals step the adder through a series of values. These values are relayed through two bus selectors to segment drivers for the LCD. One of the bus selectors is coupled to the counter in parallel with a subtracter. When a value from the counter exceeds a predetermined value equal to the MUX of the LCD, the subtracter takes the difference between the predetermined MUX value and the value received from the counter and directs the parallel bus selector to relay the difference to the RAM of a segment driver. An adder is coupled to the other bus selector and to the vector register. When the MCU needs to fetch information from the segment drivers, the MCU relays a LCD address where the information is displayed, to the adder.